VOLUME 18, ISSUE 31 PO Box 75, North Waterboro, ME 04061 • 247-1033 • www.waterbororeporter.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020

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A filter box part of a “Beaver Deceiver” being installed on Deering Pond by Skip Lisle, Steve Mallon and Kevin McKeon to control beaver damage at a Mousam Way Land Trust property. COURTESY PHOTO

Dick Langlais, Chairman of Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association, between tablets of Korean War and Vietnam.

PHOTO BYJOANNE BARGIONI

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(Continued on page 6) (Continued on page 6)

A joint effort among The San-ford-Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust, The Sanford ATV Club, and the Sanford Trails Com-mittee, is addressing an old and ongoing human/beaver conflict is-sue: Protect the Deering Pond en-vironment within the Trust’s Hall Environmental Reserve, while also maintaining the integrity of the Sanford Rail Trail. The issue is that during high watershed events, the Rail Trail—which abuts Deer-ing Pond’s wetlands—is being flooded and washed away by the rise in water level of Deering Pond caused by a beaver dam at the pond’s outlet culverts.

The “caveman-styled” solu-tion has been to send Committee and Club volunteers to occasion-ally clean out the culverts. During spring high water, this needs to be done 2 to 3 times a week. A sub-committee was actually formed to rotate volunteers! Until now.

Skip Lisle, owner and founder of Beaver Deceiver International, custom designed and installed a “Flow-Control Device” called a Beaver Deceiver. Solving beaver conflict issues for several decades all over United States, Canada, Eu-rope, and Asia, Skip has devoted his career to educating folks about the value of living with beavers, the wonderful wetlands they create by dam building, and the resultant enhancement of critical habitats.

There are advantages gained by installing the Beaver Deceiver flow-control devices in municipal human/beaver conflict areas. A United Nations report foretells of nature’s dangerous and accelerat-ed rate of unprecedented decline in amphibian and other species extinction, illustrating the impor-tance of restoring and enhancing these habitats. Beaver Deceivers are engineered to solve the human/beaver conflicts that are inconve-nient and costly, while enhancing the local environment by allowing the creation, restoration, and natural maintenance of valuable wetland habitats.

Beaver control device installed at local pond

By Joanne Bargioni

During times of war, there will be soldiers who are missing and unaccounted for. These soldiers are referred to as Prisoners of War (POA) or Missing in Action (MIA) and The Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Association has worked hard to create a memorial for them. The monument commem-orates the thirteen major wars in which the United States has been involved: The Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish -American War, WW1, the Cold War, WW2, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraq.

Dick Langlais, Chairman of the Southern Maine Veterans Memo-rial Cemetery Association (SM-VMCA) and Ron Rivard, Secre-tary of SMVMCA, described how the finished memorial will appear. The site is near the Administration Building at the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery on Stanley Road in Springvale. Ray Parrent is the Chairman of this project and

has been working on this dream for the last ten years, and it is well on its way to completion. The me-morial will consist of a monolithic granite monument 9 ft. 9 in. high, 5 ft. 8 in. wide, 2 ft. 10 in. thick, weighing 11,750 lbs. and it will be placed on a concrete pad. On the front of the stone will be engraved “POW/MIA Lest We Forget, In Remembrance of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from All Wars” and on the back it will declare “the top of this monument stands unfinished to honor men and women who remain forever Missing in Action. They will not be forgotten.”

Concrete blocks will hold 13 granite tablets with the name of each war engraved upon it, ar-ranged in a semi-circle. The tablets will include the number of POW and MIA’s for that war. There will be grassy areas and a semi-circu-lar brick walkway leading to the 13 tablets. Behind the tablets will be a flagpole with a POW/MIA flag, which will always be at half-staff in memory of those who are never coming back. Behind the

POW/MIA Memorial

flagpole there will be 4 ft. by 4 ft. plots to hold 65 memorial stones with the name of a POW/MIA soldier. Until recently, the Veter-

ans Administration did not allow veterans without remains to have a stone with their name placed in

Tricking the beavers

PAGE 2 Thursday, August 6, 2020 REPORTER

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Conflicts arise when beaver activities plug culverts and wa-ter flow slows, causing water to rise. This often causes flooding of the road, nearby septic systems, and house foundations; And also causes water damage to base-ment utilities, furniture, and other low-laying property. Other issues arise when farm and timber lands are impacted by uncontrolled wa-ter-level rise. These rises can be mitigated by Beaver Deceiver installations, resulting in an im-proved environment for both bea-ver and humans. The surrounding landscape is enhanced by the im-provements of habitats populated by a variety of wetland creatures, using the beavers natural instincts to slow the flow of water and cre-ate manageable beaver ponds.

Trapping beaver is a short-term, costly, and cruel method, of-ten done in winter when baby bea-vers—kits—are being raised in their lodges , so they end up starv-ing or freezing in their lodges. But more beaver will soon move in. A culvert is a “beaver magnet”; Nothing more than a hole is an al-ready constructed dam (the road-bed) that needs to be blocked; And the lodges can be re-used. Thus the beaver has a huge dam with-out doing too much work, and not too much maintenance is needed to keep their resultant pond intact.

Skip’s Beaver Deceiver was designed to solve Deering Pond’s site-specific factors, like snow-melt, maximum historic rainfall events, and drainage patterns defined by topographical condi-tions. This site-specific design will actually encourage the bea-vers to build a dam against this

device. It was then built on site and installed at the Deering Pond outlet culverts with help from the Trust and Committee, as part of a larger project funded by the joint Club/Committee grant. Mousam Way Land Trust funded the video production done by WSSR-TV as part of the Trust’s directive to in-crease the awareness level of how humans exist within our environ-ment—in this instance, solving human/beaver conflicts. The vid-eo, currently being edited, will be available soon.

– by Kevin McKeon, Trust Director, Committee Member

Update on seeds from China

The Department of Agricul-ture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF) Bureau of Agriculture recently issued an update for peo-ple receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds, purportedly sent from China. DACF is instructing seed recipients to visit https://www.Maine.gov/dacf/seeds and follow the instructions outlined on the form. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Ani-mal Plant Health Inspection Ser-vice’s Plant Protection and Quar-antine Smuggling, Interdiction and Trade Compliance Unit is currently investigating this situa-tion across the nation.

About the mystery seeds• In Maine and across the US,

people are reporting receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds. Recipients should hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, and refer to this form.

• While the exact types of seeds in the packages are un-known, the seeds are thought to possibly be either invasive or pose a plant health risk, and not believed to be harmful to humans or pets. The seeds could pose a significant risk to agriculture or the environment.

• The seeds are usually sent in white packages displaying Chinese lettering and the words “China Post.” Most recipients say they did not order anything, and that the packaging was labeled as jewelry. Some recipients have re-ported ordering seeds on Amazon and receiving these seeds.

• Recipients are asked to place the seeds and shipping envelope (if available) into a resealable baggie and mail them to the fol-lowing address for identification and processing:

USDA-APHIS-PPQ15 Iron Road, Suite 1Hermon, ME 04401

BEAVER CONTROL(Continued from page 1)

To the right, is the Beaver Deceiver installed, and above is a diagram

describing how it works. COURTESY PHOTOS

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“Although we had planned a fabulous in-person event, we are excited to invite everyone to join us online for our virtual auction,” said Nancy Naimey, principal of St. James.

Over 160 items are up for grabs through Saturday, Aug. 8, at 9 p.m., with all proceeds benefit-ting the Biddeford school, located on 25 Graham Street, and its tech-nology fund. To participate and scroll through the vast array of items, visit https://airauctioneer.com/sjs. Support or assistance is available from the auction com-mittee by emailing sjsauction20@gmail.com. Please leave a call back phone number, if necessary.

The auction features scores of gift cards from local stores and restaurants; handmade items by community crafters and more!

Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 3REPORTER

BUSINESS NEWS

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a letter from the rSU 57 SUperintendent

Dear RSU #57 Community (Mustang Nation),

As we approach August, the start of a new school year is just a few weeks away and we under-stand that you have been patiently awaiting information from us on our plans for reopening schools. First, we are now planning to open school for all students after Labor Day, beginning the week of Sept. 8, with specific details regarding phasing in of all grades/programs to be outlined in the re-opening plan. This is a change to the ad-opted calendar and the Board will adopt the new calendar at the Aug. 5 meeting.

I know you have many more questions and concerns about how we will reopen our buildings safe-ly in light of COVID-19 and I’m sure you too can understand that traditional school and routines will be forever changed. However, our commitment to school safety for students and staff will not change and we will adhere to the Maine Department Of Education Frame-work for Returning to Classroom Instruction guidelines as they are presented.

On Wednesday evening, Aug. 5, I will present the RSU #57 ba-sic guidelines of the 2020-2021 school year plan to the RSU 57 School Board. The plan is devised from the guidelines established for us from the DOE, which includes recommendations from the Maine Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. The RSU #57 admin-istrative team is assembling our general guidelines which will be shared with constituents through-out the District. Our schools will accommodate all students in a daily program, with families choosing to access the classroom either in per-son or remotely with a common start and end time for both. We will continue to review our plan as ad-justments may be required based on the Maine DOE guidelines as well as the conditions of staffing and safety in the district.

We will receive guidance from the State regarding the rating for our county, which will dictate how we will proceed with the reopen-ing of school and the continuance of the school year. It is our current understanding that there will be bi-weekly State updates regarding the rating of COVID-19 spread in our county. As a result of this proce-dure, we will need to be responsive to any changes that would affect our current plan. This changing in-formation will necessitate flexibili-ty in all operations of planning. We will do our best to keep you well informed.

The ratings are as follows:• Categorization as “red” sug-

gests that the county has a high risk of COVID-19 spread and that in-person instruction should not be conducted.

• Categorization as “yellow” suggests that the county has an el-evated risk of COVID-19 spread and that hybrid instruction models should be adopted.

• Categorization as “green” suggests that the county has a rela-tively low COVID-19 risk and that in-person instruction can be adopt-ed – although a SAU may opt for hybrid instruction if its buildings or readiness make adhering to the Re-quired Health and Safety Measures for All Schools a challenge.

RSU #57 will offer online and in-person learning throughout the school year, unless ordered (red rating) to close our facilities. Our online learning program will look and run differently than in the spring. Students will participate in the same schedule as the in-person students run at the school (Syn-chronized Learning). Our teachers will instruct students in both envi-ronments in order for all students to experience similar educational programming. Daily class atten-dance will be required and record-ed. Grading will be reflective of the current grading structures of the District.

In-person learning will require adherence to the safety guidelines, which currently include distancing and the mandatory wearing of a mask/face covering by all students and staff. Current guidance per The Maine Department Of Educa-tion Framework for Returning to

Classroom Instruction, states that face shields are not an alternative to mask/face coverings unless there are “medical, behavioral, or other [documented] challenges.”

It should be noted that there are significant limitations on the number of students we can place on the bus at any given time. The required safety measures include: daily pre-screening, the wearing of a mask/face covering, hand sanitiz-ing, and assigned seating. We are encouraging families to transport daily if possible.

Our nutrition department will continue to offer breakfast and lunch programs. Details of how to receive these services for those in the online learning setting will be forthcoming. Those participating in the in-person setting will be re-quired to maintain aforementioned safety measures. Self-service op-tions will not be available and meal choices will be limited.

The 2020-2021 school year will be divided into segments of school days, after which each family can revisit their personal choice of in-person or remote school options based on the changing conditions and the risk mitigation strategy em-ployed by the district.

The family survey is linked

below asking that families select a choice of an educational plan for each of their children, as well as information regarding transporting their children to school daily. It is very important for our planning that all families complete this sur-vey for each school-aged child in their household: We ask that you help us by sharing this information with your friends and family.

A community information night will be held Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 6-8 p.m. We will use this opportu-nity to share our most current guid-ance and planning as well as take questions from the community. A link for this event will be shared via the District Facebook page, RSU #57 website, and the RSU #57 app.

The upcoming year will present challenges for all of us. That being said, we look forward to working with your child(ren) and providing them with quality educational op-portunities.

– Larry MaloneRSU 57 Superintendent

(Letter sent to parents in late July.)

FAMILY SURVEY LINK:https://docs.google.com/

forms/d/1a1jelFYl5B b_1Q1wRKl5I45KPBCB Mx0tsiBFnCUMJrA/edit.

SHARE THE REPORTER with friends and family at facebook.com/Reporter207

PAGE 4 Thursday, August 6, 2020 REPORTER

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Information NightTUESDAY, AUG. 11

FROM 6-8 P.M.

During August, the Maine De-partment of Agriculture, Conser-vation and Forestry (DACF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are asking the public to take a couple of min-utes to check trees in their com-munities and forests for invasive insects. August is the peak time of year to see adult wood-boring insects, and the activity of other invasive pests is also visible.

“Our first defense against in-vasive species is to prevent their arrival in the first place,” State Horticulturist Gary Fish ex-plained. “Our partners at USDA APHIS and Customs and Border Protection here in the US and Ca-nadian Food Inspection Agency north of the border frequently stop plant pests before they can gain a foothold in North America. How-ever, the volume of trade and trav-el prevents them from stopping every pest.”

Invasive species are non-na-tive organisms that include plants, animals, and diseases. When in-troduced to a new environment, they lack natural predators or dis-eases to keep their populations in check. They are considered inva-sive when they harm the environ-ment, the economy, and/or human health. Examples of those already impacting Maine’s Forests are nu-merous.

Maine State Forester Patty Cormier recognized the impor-tance of public involvement in protecting our trees from invasive species. “Trees play an import-

• Oak wilt disease – this dead-ly fungal disease of oaks is found in other parts of the United States, including the closest known infes-tations in New York State. Look for sudden wilt in red oak group (pointed lobes on leaves) trees during summer months. Learn more

• Spotted lanternfly – this colorful planthopper is an expert hitchhiker with a broad appe-tite. Best known for its impacts on grapes and hops, spotted lan-ternfly feeds on and can damage a wide variety of plants. Look for the brightly colored nymphs and adults but be aware that this insect hitches a ride most subtly as dull-colored egg masses. Like the infamous gypsy moth, the adult lays its eggs on just about anything that is still long enough. Learn more

We’re asking people to take 10 minutes to search the trees in their yards, neighborhoods, and for-ests,” Cormier said. “If you find a suspected invasive pest, take a picture and send us information at bugwatch@maine.gov. It’s quick and easy and will connect you with an expert who can help.”

The photographs should show enough detail that an expert can verify or determine if follow-up is needed. It can be helpful to in-clude an object, such as a coin or pencil, for scale. If it is an insect, try to capture it in case a photo is not enough. Otherwise, make sure you can find the affected tree again if needed. Captured insects can be stored in hard containers in a cool place. Most will survive in the refrigerator long enough to receive a response from the de-partment.

Take Simple Actions to Pre-vent Spread

There are simple actions that anyone can take to avoid intro-ducing and spreading invasive insects.

• Buy firewood where you’ll burn it or gather it on site when permitted. When moving fire-wood, you might also be moving invasive insects and diseases hid-ing there.

• When traveling locally or moving to a new area, check your bags and boxes to make sure they are insect-free. Invasive species can get in and on bags, boxes, ve-hicles and other items that have been stored outside or in your ga-rage.

“We all have a role to play in preventing invasive species move-ment,” State Horticulturist Fish said. “Taking just a few minutes to check the trees in your yard can go a long way to ensuring that the forests and trees we rely on now are here for future generations.”

ant role in our state economy and provide environmental benefits, including clean air and water and wildlife habitat and recreation op-portunities. The public, our most important partner in detecting in-vasive species, is our eyes on the ground. We can avoid tree-loss from invasive species by stopping the spread of these pests.”

What to look forState officials urge the pub-

lic to be especially aware of four invasive species during their tree checks.

• Asian longhorn beetle – this large (>1”) black and white bee-tle has a taste for maples and other hardwood or broad-leaved trees. Look for the oval to round wounds on the bark where the fe-males have chewed out a site to deposit eggs, round holes in the trunks and branches of trees, and piles of coarse sawdust at the base of trees. Learn more

• Emerald ash borer – this small (<1/2”) metallic green bee-tle is deadly for ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees. Look for small (1/8”) D-shaped adult exit holes in the bark, winding frass-filled (saw-dust-like waste) feeding galleries under the bark, woodpecker feed-ing, crown dieback, and epicor-mic shoots. Emerald ash borer has been found in two parts of Maine: York and Cumberland Counties in the south and northwestern Aroos-took County in the north. Learn more

maine department of ConServation & foreStry

Check trees for invasive species

GOTNEWS?

We want to hear from you!

news@waterbororeporter.com

As announced in June, Maine Catholic Schools (listed below) will open for in-school learning for the 2020-21 school year with a full day schedule, five days a week. A virtual learning option will also be provided to families not yet comfortable with sending their children for in-school learn-ing.

“Classrooms and facilities have been and continue to be modified to comply with the latest CDC guidelines,” said Marianne Pelletier, superintendent of Maine Catholic Schools. “Additional cleaning supplies will be available and extra staff has been hired to help ensure that our health pro-tocols and processes keep school environments as healthy and safe as possible for students and staff alike.”

The reopening plan is available to view in its entirety at www.port-landdiocese.org/response-coro-navirus. The plan includes a de-scription of how a continuity of instruction will be maintained, how students and staff will be kept healthy, how communication plans have been enhanced, and how flexibility to meet the needs of students and families will be provided. In addition, it answers questions regarding new protocols for common use items and shared areas, physical distancing, screen-ing and symptom checking, and other proper health and hygiene practices that will be employed.

Maine Catholic Schools release reopening

school plan“The protocols we have in

place allow for flexibility as we move forward,” said Pel-letier. “We anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic will con-tinue to impact our schools through the 2021-22 academic year. We are focused on keeping our school communities safe and flourishing, regardless of the lev-el our state is in during the pan-demic.”

The schools overseen by the Office of Maine Catholic Schools are All Saints School (St. John Campus/St. Mary Campus) in Bangor, Holy Cross School in South Portland, St. Brigid School in Portland, Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn and Lewiston, St. James School in Biddeford, St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick, St. Mi-chael School in Augusta, and St. Thomas School in Sanford.

In March, Catholic schools, along with all public schools across Maine, closed their doors due to the pandemic. Two days later, Catholic schools in Maine successfully opened their virtual doors, providing a high-quality, distance learning program for all of their students across the state, efforts that were lauded by both school families and the wider community.

If you would like to enroll or learn more about Catholic schools in Maine, visit www.mainecatholicschools.com.

Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 5REPORTER

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The letter at the post office

This has been a week for the books! My quiet little life was shak-en when I received a letter from an old friend that I haven’t seen or heard from in over thirty years.

In my younger days, years ago, I worked at a television station in San Francisco, with a bunch of oth-er people who just wanted a start in the business. It was an independent-ly owned station, with a variety of programming. We were all rookies; we loved what we did and wanted to learn everything.

According to my friend Ron, who was an engineer, the taped pro-grams and commercials were aired by the use of a Ampex VR1200 machine, with a 2”- 90 minute tape. And the live studio programs were done with two RCA TK-42 stu-dio cameras, first manufactured in

1965. It was “Quiet on the set, we’re

rolling in 5-4-3-2-1!” every day, and it was exciting. He ran the equipment in the control room, and the rest of us all had our jobs to do, from audio to the cameraman.

Some of my co-workers went on to bigger and better things, but I decided to get out when the station was sold.

Eventually, I moved back to Maine to live and do what I had learned in broadcasting, to write a compelling story. While at the sta-tion, I hosted a television program called “The Vagabond” and wrote all of my own copy. It was an ex-perience that I will never forget and am grateful for the opportunity. We all worked closely together, as it was live t.v. most of the time, and it had to be right, so it was a team effort.

I lost touch with those people, regrettably, but that is usually the way life is nowadays; people are just too busy.

Back to the letter. Most people don’t use ‘old school’ letter writing anymore, and that alone surprised me. We send cards, but usually communicate by phone, text or email. When I looked at the return

address and saw that it was from Idaho, I thought to myself, “I don’t know anyone in Idaho.” So, I im-mediately opened it, and found it to be my old co-worker Ron.

“Holy smokes! How in the heck did he ever find me?” Not that I was hiding, because I am not. I was just surprised, that after all these years, he would remember me. I must have made a good impression. Good for me.

But, thanks to the internet, you can find almost anyone you are looking for, if you have some idea of where they are living. All that you need to do, is log on and the possibilities are endless. There is so much information, it is sometimes a little scary. Where is the privacy these days?

Anyways, he knew I was from Maine, so he searched for me. He said that it took him quite a few years, but finally, a couple of weeks ago, his letter found me. Imagine that?!

Even though I have traveled all over the United States and have met a lot of people, his name stood out and I remembered him well. The letter said “Let’s reconnect,” mean-ing that he would like to talk. After careful consideration, I thought,

“Why not?” I called him over the weekend

and we reminisced about all the live ethnic t.v. shows, the news in Spanish, the Japanese show, the Italian show, the French show, re-ligious shows, live music shows, the Ali Baba belly dancers, and our co-workers. It was great to bring back all of those times that I had put on the back burner, due to other things in life.

Evidently, when it changed, Ron had landed a good job in broadcast-ing at an ABC station in the city and had a wonderful career. We said that we would stay in touch and talk more often, and I think that is very important. After all, those were the days of our youth and, if we can still re-live them, then we should.

That was the second time that an old friend has contacted me that I haven’t seen in years. My former sister-in-law called me earlier this year, and we stay in touch now, too.

Every once in a while, we need to just embrace the past. If we hav-en’t seen someone in a long time, maybe it is time to do our own in-ternet search, even it is just to talk for a few minutes.

You just never know when somebody will walk back into your

life, to say that they have missed your friendship. That alone will put a smile on your face. There are no words to describe it — it’s just priceless.

Thrift shop open The thrift shop in the Mason-

ic Hall at 181 Wakefield Road is open on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations are wel-come.

Happy birthday! Birthday wishes go to the fol-

lowing people: Joanne Vaters, Terry Crosby, Edwin Schaefer, and Rita Tuttle.

Thanks to our volunteers

We would like to give a big shout out to the volunteers of the Newfield Fire and Rescue. For the month of July alone, they re-sponded to 21 calls.

MeetingsThe Board of Selectmen will

meet on Tuesday, August 11, at the West Newfield Town Hall at 23 So. Effingham Road at 6 p.m.

PAGE 6 Thursday, August 6, 2020 REPORTER

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A rose developed in Alfred by the Grabers, a striped mutant they named Fair Rosamund. It is not just beautiful but winter hardy.

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remembrance in a Veteran’s Cem-etery, but that has now changed, and we can justly remember these fallen heroes.

The cost of this project has been raised by fundraisers and donations to SMVMCA. They have current-ly spent $106,206 on groundwork, monuments, and tablets. Eight tab-lets commemorating eight wars have been ordered, two are in place (Korean War and Vietnam War) and six more are on the way. They still need fi ve more tablets at a to-tal cost of $23,750 in order to bring the project to completion. If you would like to support this project, all donations are welcome, small or large. Checks can be made out to SMVMCA, 83 Stanley Rd., Springvale, ME 04083, and indi-cate on the memo line that this is for the POW/MIA Fund.

Langlais said he was “very fortunate to have everyone in SM-VMCA pitching in and doing their job and getting donations.” A ded-ication was planned for Septem-ber, but due to COVID-19, this will be postponed until next year.

Shapleigh virtual Farmers Market

This summer, due to COVID-19, Shapleigh could not open it’s Farmers Market. Kev-in Smith started the Shapleigh Farmers Market Facebook page to assist the farmers in letting the public know what local farms are producing. Shoppers can go to the Shapleigh Farmers Market page on Facebook and order from the

Joanne Bargionijoannebargioni@gmail.com

SHAPLEIGHPOW/MIA MEMORIAL(Continued from page 1)

farms directly. In keeping with the COVID-19 restrictions, you can pick up your orders without contact.

Happenings at Springvale Library

Springvale Library, 443 Main Street, is open for limited library use. They will continue with masks and social distancing and with their curbside pickup. A few events have been planned. They are continuing with their Main-ers on Maine Street, which is a series that helps you get to know your community. On Aug. 6, they will be visiting Colleen Raney’s fl ower farm. On Aug. 13, they will be zooming live with Molly to visit the Maine Audubon Soci-ety to learn about local fl ora and fauna. There is a Summer Book Club with Arlene beginning Aug. 5th via Zoom. This month’s fea-tured book is called ‘The Dutch House’ by Ann Patchett. Septem-ber’s book is entitled, ‘A Woman Of No Importance’ by Sonia Pur-nell. Email the library at www.springvalelibrary.org for the Zoom link if interested.

Allison Williamsawilliams@waterbororeporter.com

324-5823

ALFRED

Town Hall NewsTown Clerk Sarah Hewitt re-

ports Alfred had 3 births in July, 2 deaths, 11 burial permits, 2 mar-riages, 2 unaltered dogs licensed and 7 hunting and fi shing licenses sold.

The Code Enforcement Offi -cer Jim Allaire issued 18 building permits in July.

Here and ThereArlene Carroll is back from

her vacation in Trenton, Georgia where she visited with her son and daughter in law, and grandkids, Hayden 11 and Alexis, 7. We are glad to see her back in the Trea-sures Room, keeping everything organized.

If fruit fl ies are driving you crazy, here’s an old recipe. Mix ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid and 2 cups water. Pour in a wide mouth jar. Change the solution every cou-ple of days to keep it fresh for the fl ies.

Mostly About FlowersWhen I return to my home-

town, which doesn’t happen often, I sometimes pass the home once owned by an uncle and aunt. They

were both involved in the family fl orist business. After work, and after supper, both would work in their large fl ower garden behind the house, continuing until dusk. There was a place across the road where the wheelbarrow with its load of weeds, could be emptied and Uncle Harold made numer-ous trips over there. The garden was mostly perennials and I am so tempted to step in and see what is in blossom. But what would the present homeowner say about a strange woman wandering about in their garden?

It was the type of garden which is featured in gardening maga-zines. There was a birdbath and a sundial but those were the only features to distract from the main show – the continuing bloom of perennials. To the rear there was a small vegetable garden and beside the house a rock garden featured a pool for goldfi sh. Some of my relatives had nice fl ower gardens, even those who worked in green-houses all day. One of them plant-ed his in close proximity to the road, then realized those passing on the sidewalk didn’t mind pick-ing his fl owers. I don’t know how he solved this little problem.

The fi rst time I traveled downeast in June I was surprised by the numerous lupines along the roadsides. We wanted some for ourselves so helped ourselves to seed pods when returning home. They now bloom almost too gen-erously in what I call my hus-band’s wild garden on the bank. And were the Black Eyed Susans

always as colorful as they are this year? They have invaded the pe-rennial beds but we cannot bear to pull them up. They already seem to be invaded themselves by the Queen Anne’s Lace, per-haps named for poor Queen Anne spending her imprisonment in the Tower of London, knowing what her fate probably would be. She was the fourth wife of fi ckle King Henry and was unable to produce an heir for him.

A neighbor grows beauti-ful roses which have interesting names – the ones I purchased from them, the Grabers, have thrived, almost too much, actually. He sells his roses and is very knowl-

edgeable about them. I try to cut mine back yearly to keep them from encroaching on the lawn.

I can think of nothing more complimentary than to have a fl ower named for you, especially a rose. Maria Stern, Helen Hayes and Charlotte Brownell are all roses. There is even a Mrs. Finch Rose (my maiden name) ,devel-oped by someone in New Hamp-shire but not named for me! It is light pink and does not try to take over the lawn. It is a rebloomer.

The Grabers developed their own striped rose, striped roses be-ing a unique mutation dating back to the 1300’s. It was an apothecary rose used for medicinal purposes,

the ultimate herbal cure being dried rose petals. The history of roses goes back 3,000 years, to the Hanging Gardens of Persia. The red rose of Lancaster was an apothecary rose.

Roses are still being named for famous people, like the Queen Elizabeth hybridized in the 19th century. There is also the Queen of Denmark, a pink rose popu-lar as the Peace Rose. Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most famous wom-an of her age (1154 to 1189) had a rose named for her, as did the Empress Josephine, Mary Queen of Scots, Helen Knight and Jenny Duval.

Across the road from the Graber home a large bed of ros-es sports multiple rose bushes in different shades, including a very dark red which looks so much like velvet that you want to touch it to convince yourself that it isn’t.

The striped rose that the Gra-bers hybridized they called Fair Rosamund. In most writings of her day she was called Rosa Mun-di for Rosamund Clifford, the beautiful mistress of Henry II who reigned 1154-1189. She died at age 36 in about 1176. (She may have been poisoned by the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine.) Fair Ro-samund is a reblooming rose and very hardy in Maine.

Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 7REPORTER

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Read the REPORTER online at www.waterbororeporter.com

TOWN OF SHAPLEIGHPublic Safety Building

Bid for RepairsThe Town of Shapleigh is seeking bids for the Public Building Stairway Ceiling,

area approximately 9 x 15 feet.

JOB CONSISTS OF:• Removing all ceiling tiles and perimeter trim

• Install new ½” sheetrock ceiling• Install new perimeter trim

• Install 1 by 4 pine trim white; and paint 3 coats of white latex paint

• Install existing light • Remove all demo debris from premises

For more information, please call Selectman Scott Cudworth at 207-206-4550.

Deadline for bids will be Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at noontime. Bids can me mailed to:

Board of Selectmen, PO Box 26, Shapleigh, ME 04076 or emailed to:

administrator@shapleigh.net. The Board of Selectmen reserves the right to

reject any and all bids.

When submitting a bid please, include

of insurance will be required to the winning bidder before any work can begin.

Shapleigh Board of Selectmen

PAGE 8 Thursday, August 6, 2020 REPORTER

First off I want to thank people all across the state. You all have turned to and taken the steps to protect the health and safety of all of us: by wearing face cover-ings; by keeping your distance; by adapting your businesses and safely serving customers and keeping staff and visitors safe; by encouraging friends and fam-ily to get tested or quarantine if come here from another state. All these actions have contribut-ed to our low positivity rate and they’ve allowed our economy to reopen gradually, but safely so far and these actions will enable our schools to open safely in the com-ing weeks.

But we won’t stop. This dead-ly virus does not take time off and while we’re proud of our prog-ress, we are not immune from the surges we’ve seen in other states.

We all want Maine people to be healthy. We want the economy to become strong and to expand.

It’s not easy –The best thing we can do for

economic health is to protect pub-lic health.

Many people in Maine are still experiencing signifi cant fi -nancial hardship too as a result of COVID-19.

The last thing people need to worry about in the middle of a pandemic is losing their home.

So back in April, we estab-lished a rent relief program, with non-taxpayer dollars, to help keep people in their homes.

Under that program, each eli-gible household got up to $500 in rental assistance paid directly to their landlord, and in exchange,

the landlord would agree not to bring eviction proceedings for that month.

As of July 16th, nearly 7,000 applications were approved and more than $3.3 million in direct relief was provided to Maine peo-ple.

I also signed an Executive Order back then that prevented the immediate eviction of tenants who were unable to pay their rent due to COVID-19 fi nancial issues.

As the Maine Supreme Judi-cial Court is reopening the courts this coming week, and as the fed-eral government appears poised to reduce unemployment benefi ts, I am now concerned that many Maine people may face a housing cliff.

So, I am dedicating $5 million in federal Covid Relief Funds to expand our rental assistance pro-grams starting Monday, August 3rd. MaineHousing then will dou-ble the rental assistance payment we have from $500 to $1,000 a month.

Eligible households may re-ceive up to $1,000 in rental assis-tance for up to three months and that assistance may also be used to pay arrearages. In accepting these payments, the landlord will agree not to evict the tenant for the month the payment was issued.

I have also signed a new Ex-ecutive Order that expands the timeframes for notice to quit in eviction proceedings.

So when the Court system re-opens, this Order will continue a certain measure of protection for “at will,” or month to month, rent-ers. The Order requires a landlord

to provide at least 45 days’ notice to a person with a tenancy “at will” or month to month, rather than 30 days under law. If the landlord is attempting to evict a residential tenant for nonpayment, the Order increases an eviction notice time from 7 days to 30 days.

This Order also maintains some strengthened penalties for landlords who might try to evict tenants by unlawful means, self-help you know, like turning off utilities - prohibited.

We hope this expanded rental relief program and continued pro-tections in the Executive Order will help renters and landlords alike.

Finally, we’re also expand-ing education, prevention, and wraparound services that will reduce the disproportionate ra-cial and ethnic COVID dispari-ties in Maine. This funding will go directly to community-based organizations – those who have “boots on the ground” – who are protecting and assisting people now in their communities and en-couraging testing and prevention measures.

More information about the COVID-19 Rental Relief Pro-gram, including frequently asked questions, are found at www.mainehousing.org/covidrent.

That’s http://www.mainehous-ing.org/covidrent

I urge anyone struggling to pay their rent to apply for these funds.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you so much for listen-ing. Stay safe.

–Originally aired as a radio address on July 30

“The last thing people need to worry about in the middle of a pandemic is losing their home.”

– GOV. JANET MILLS

OPINIONLETTERS

Gideon is not one of usAs someone who served with

Speaker Sara Gideon in the Maine Legislature for years, I take issue with Gideon’s recent ads, including one published in every major news-paper that makes the case that she is somehow bipartisan.

Gideon claims that she “...has shown that she will work with any-one to get things done to help Maine people,” but in my experience, just the opposite is true.

In Augusta, Gideon always put politics fi rst, resulting in partisan bickering and gridlock often associat-ed with Washington. Just three years ago, she chose to shut down the state government for the fi rst time in more than 20 years rather than work with the members of my caucus, who she referred to as “terrorists.” She also, in my opinion, regularly went out of her way to humiliate my colleagues from the podium.

Gideon claims that “she has a proven record of fi ghting for us”, but from my fi rsthand experience, she has a proven record of fi ghting with us.

She also continues to claim that Susan Collins is beholden to special interests including big pharma, even though as Speaker, she raised a lot of money from special interests to sup-port the House Democrat’s caucus. At her very fi rst fundraiser, in the living room of her oceanfront man-sion, Gideon solicited donations from the very same corporations she now claims have a corrupting infl uence with the fi rst one coming from…big pharma!

Despite what she says in her fl ashy ads, Sara Gideon isn’t one of us, and she certainly isn’t for us.

– Rep. Heidi SampsonAlfred

To the Editor,At the Aug. 1 meeting of the Ly-

man Board of Selectmen a citizen took issue with the fact that the board was “throwing” money at the Lyman Cemetery Committee while ignoring a request from the town clerk for con-tinued dental coverage. According to this citizen (whose letter and com-

ments were read and recorded as part of the minutes of that meeting), the town is “throwing money” at “dead people” while ignoring the living em-ployees of the town.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of town payroll, who is an “employ-ee” and who is an “elected offi cial;” I only know what the Cemetery Com-mittee does because I am a member sworn to uphold the constitutions of the United States and the State of Maine while carrying out my (volun-teer, unpaid) duties.

What this citizen apparently does not know is that Maine state law re-quires each town to maintain and care for its “ancient cemeteries” which, in Lyman, include some 108 ceme-teries containing veterans from ev-ery American war dating back to the Revolution.

Also, these cemeteries were es-sentially abandoned after the Great Fire of ’47, and only recently has a new, fresh Committee taken on the task of clearing those cemeteries; spending long hours nearly year-round lopping and mowing, cleaning, repairing and resetting headstones, erecting signs and placing fl ags on the 400 graves of each Lyman veteran on Memorial Day.

This work is being done on a “catch-up” basis because no one has cared for these plots in decades and, in many cases, for over 100 years. As a result huge trees have grown up in and around the cemeteries. When these trees fall (as they eventually do) they damage the walls, fences and headstones below. The average, stan-dard slate or granite headstone would cost, at today’s prices, over $10,000 to replace (minus engraving). Our annual budget for the entire town is currently less than half that amount. It has been costing the town approx-imately $2,500 per cemetery to re-move a few trees at a time. With over 100 cemeteries needing tree work it is easy enough to calculate what the end cost will be and how long it will take to get those cemeteries into “mow only” status.

There are those who think the town is “throwing” money away on “dead people” but as a veteran I will say this: I will go through the fi res of Hell to take care of the graves of our dead veterans and anyone who gets in my way obviously does not understand the meaning of the term, Semper Fi!

–Stephen CarpenteriLyman

To area businesses,I am used to shopping in a lot

of the Waterboro area stores. Han-naford is my standard for the num-ber of shoppers wearing face cover-ing. By far the majority of shoppers wear masks. If I go into a small store where there is closeness at the check out and there are a lot of shoppers with out face covering, I turn around and walk out and go somewhere else. If this happens several times, then I am likely to not go there in the fi rst place.

This is too bad because I like to support my local business, but not at increased risk to my health.

– Jon GaleNorth Waterboro

U.S. Senator Angus King has fl atly rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that mail-in vot-ing will drastically increase voter fraud, and his suggestion that the 2020 election should be delayed. In his full statement, which can be read below, Senator King urges increased investments in national election infrastructure and the Unit-ed States Postal Service, and con-demns the President’s tweet, stating he can think of “no greater gift to our adversaries” seeking to under-mine faith in American elections.

“President Trump’s outrageous claim has absolutely no basis in re-ality,” said Senator King. “Voting by mail has been used successful-ly in states as diverse as Oregon and Utah for years, and there is

King: Trump’s Tweet pointing to possible election delay has “Absolutely no basis in reality”

zero evidence that it leads to any signifi cant increase in voter fraud. Furthermore, the executive has no authority to delay the election; the power to set election days belongs to Congress, and I, for one, refuse to allow conspiracy theories and baseless accusations to damage Americans’ faith in the bedrock foundation of our democratic sys-tem of governance. If the President is truly concerned about the sta-tus of our election, he should join those who are calling for increased investments in election systems across the country, and stop un-dermining the U.S. Postal Service during a time of economic crisis.

“The President’s statements are wildly inaccurate, but they remain corrosive and dangerous. We have

seen that rival nations are deter-mined to interfere in the American electoral process, but in order to be successful they don’t have to change votes; they simply have to cast doubt on the validity of the results. President Trump’s attempt to question the election’s results before a single ballot has been cast is a transparent effort to suppress

the vote and delegitimize election results he may not like. I can think of no greater offense against our country, and no greater gift to our adversaries. For the good of the na-tion, Americans of all parties must reject his dangerous and irresponsi-ble rhetoric which undermines the trust in our electoral system upon which our democracy rests.”